cleaning the coop

[enggass]

Just sprinkle about.
As far as DE goes, the only substantiated uses are insect control and using to keep things dry.
That website talks about all of the human uses, but I do not believe any of those have been scientifically substantiated.
Who knows...

 

[TheSpiceGirls]

I clean my coop once a week but it's quite small and I only have 4 hens. So it takes me all of 3 minutes and I feel better knowing that it's fresh in there.

 

[audioguy]

Quote:
We are planning on 4 chicks too!
Once the coop is built I plan to use a poppy pan under the roost. Everyone says it keeps it much cleaner!

 

[cabincrazyone]

Diatomaceous Earth (DE, Fullers Earth): (food grade)
DE has been around for thousands of years, and is basically a lot of small micro
-organisms that have been crushed together and broken up etc. It works by
killing insects by slitting the exoskeleton, eventually causing death through dehy-
dration. However, some people say that it can do much more than that, including
killing mites, killing intestinal worms, curing allergies, making egg quality better,
better feed conversion, curing various diseases, making for drier feces, limiting
smell etc. The supporters of DE say that you should use DE at the rate of 2% of
the food, and it can be fed to humans, dogs, cats, horses, cattle, sheep, goats,
poultry, guinea pigs, rabbits etc. However this has not been proven by science
and many people have achieved the same results by not using DE. MORE: It's
Diatom fossils that act as microscopic knives on the exoskeleton of all
insects. Once the shell of the insect is perforated, the DE dehydrates
the thing, and it is dead. DE is a good additive to bedding to help
reduce excess moisture, lice, mites. DE (Food-Grade) is non-toxic to
humans or pets. Some say that feeding DE to humans or pets will
reduce/eliminate worms. It does not harm the digestive tract because
the tissues there are tougher...think stomach acid...it has to be tough
stuff. It does make poo less smelly. From what I have learned, the
only drawback is that DE when inhaled, irritates the delicate lining of
sinus passages and lungs.

 

[Yay Chicks!]

So, I live in the PNW as well and have a covered run. Any chance you can cover your run? I just throw leaves in the run and they turn them into compost. Never smells.

I use DE in the coop as well. You will get the best price buying a 50# bag at your feed store. You will be looking for PermaGuard. Sometimes it's called Fossil Shell Flour. Some where on the bag it will say Food Grade. It is pure white in color. Please do not use the pool grade. It's not the same thing. It helps keep things dry in the coop. I sprinkle it around in the pine shavings. I also clean the poop board once a day as well as any big wet clumps that hit the floor. I only do this so often because my coop is really small with not quite enough ventilation. If your coop is larger you may be able to go far longer.

 

[Iheartchicks<3:)]

I shovel half my bedding out every 2 weeks or so. I add fresh bedding after that. I hose down my waterer about once a month. I add fresh bedding to the tops of the nest boxes every day (just a handful) I throughly clean ( with bleach) once a year, in the summer. I have only had chickens since august.. so i haven't gotten to do that yet!

 

[Justducky97365]

What is DE? I am a newbie and am reading.....reading.....and taking notes! My husband gags,
at icky smells, so I think I might NEED this.... ;o)

 

[buffbrahmaboy]

I'm a newbe with 8 free range chickens. I'll scrub the coop and replace shavings every 12-18 months. The droppings pit gets mucked out every couple of months (I did it yesterday - half hour job). They poop in the coop twice as much during winter than they do during summer. I can handle up to 30 birds and will probably muck the pit monthly (average) then. I let my nose be my guide. As soon as I detect ammonia I start planning to clean the droppings pit.

 

[crystal195655]

What is DE? I am a newbie and am reading.....reading.....and taking notes! My husband gags,
at icky smells, so I think I might NEED this.... ;o)

I am new also...and like yours my DH not only gags at icky smells he can
t even look at poop....lol I use the Sweet PDZ and so far I like it...it is similar to the DE, except for the bug control

 

[karlamaria]

Cleaning a coop with 5to10 chickens is pretty easy. We do our coop every other week and lay all new litter down. Clean the poop board often and there is never a bad smell. We clean the pen weekly and my chickens are clean and happy. We do diatomaceous earth when we clean the coops every time. I could not imagine cleaning my coop every 12 to 18 months. The poop build up must be insane. Yuck!